The County Board meets in Room 307 on the third floor at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. All County Board Meetings are open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a Regular County Board Meeting.

Watch it Live

All County Board meetings are live-streamed on the County website, and broadcast live on the County’s cable channel, ATV, with live captioning. You can watch the Board Meetings on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD), and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40, or live-streamed on YouTube. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and reports) and on YouTube.

Fire Station 8 replacement contract: The Board will consider approving a $1.099 million contract with LeMay Erickson Wilcox Architects for planning, design and constructions services to replace Fire Station 8, at 4885 Lee Highway. The aging, undersized fire station will be rebuilt to meet current requirements for equipment and fire and EMS personnel on the same site where it stands today. To read the staff report for this item, scroll to Item No. 22 on the agenda.

Residential Permit Parking in Arlington Mill and Forest Glen: The Board will hold a public hearing and vote on a resolution to rescind some Residential Permit Parking (RPP) restrictions in the Arlington Mill/Forest Glen neighborhood. The neighborhood is sometimes referred to as Zone 24, the RPP program zone number for that area. The Board’s action comes after more than a year of staff effort to find solutions to neighborhood parking issues. The Board held a listening session with Arlington Mill and Forest Glen residents earlier this month. To read the staff report for this item, scroll to Item No. 32 on the agenda.

No sooner than 6:30 p.m. – The Board will hold public hearings on, and consider, any items pulled from Saturday’s Consent Agenda. The Board also will hold the following public hearing:

Bright Horizons child care center— The Board will hold a public hearing on a requested Site Plan Amendment and related Use Permit for Bright Horizons child care center and playground, 4001 Fairfax Drive. The Site Plan request is to convert 5,574 square feet of office space on the first and second floor of an existing Ballston building to a child care center for up to 145 children. A portion of existing outdoor space on the site would be converted to a playground to meet the center’s outdoor play requirements. The outdoor play area will be fenced, with screening trees along the western edge of the playground that faces the adjacent condo building.The center would operate Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. To read the staff report for this item, scroll to Item No. 33 on the agenda.

COG , an independent, non-profit association, brings together 300 elected officials from 24 local governments, the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, and the U.S. Congress to develop solutions to regional challenges. The Board of Directors is COG’s governing body, responsible for setting policy.

“COG plays a vital role in building the partnerships that are necessary to manage growth and enhance the quality of life across our region,” Dorsey said. “It is an honor to be elected vice chair at a time of tremendous opportunity, and challenges for our region. I look forward to working with my counterparts in local government on a range of issues affecting the more than five million people who live in the region today, and the more than one million new residents expected to move here by 2045.”

Robert White, District of Columbia Council Member, was elected 2019 Chair of COG.

Background

Dorsey, first elected to the Arlington County Board in 2015, has represented Arlington on the COG Board of Directors since 2016. Read Dorsey’s biography.

The Arlington County Board today unanimously elected Christian Dorsey its 2019 Chair. Libby Garvey was named vice chair.

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey

Dorsey, elected to the Board in 2015, served as vice chair in 2018. He represents Northern Virginia as a principal director on the board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and represents Arlington County on other regional bodies including the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Read Christian Dorsey’s biography.

Focus on equity

After a sobering look at the County’s near-term budget challenges, Dorsey called for a focus on equity in County policies, both to “repair the damage that inattention to equity has already produced,” and to ensure that going forward, County policies address disparities in health and wellness outcomes, educational achievement and “many indicators of one’s ability to lead a secure and fulfilling life.”

The County must collect and analyze data “so that broad successes don’t mask real challenges people face,” Dorsey said. County government must “recognize and report on who benefits from and who is burdened by the actions of government, including budgets; land use decisions; appropriations; legislation and civic engagement. “

Saying education and dialogue is needed to repair damage already done in the community, Dorsey promised to support “to the greatest possible extent,” Virginia Humanities’ Changing the Narrative program, supporting educational and dialogue opportunities “to understand historical and current inequities in our community.”

Warning on Fiscal Year 2020 Budget

Amazon’s decision to expand its headquarters into Arlington – with a planned $2.5 billion investment and creation of 25,000 jobs over the next decade — “is a significant catalyst toward our emerging from austerity budgets,” Dorsey said. But for Amazon “to serve as a springboard for more opportunities for all Arlingtonians,” he said, “we must expertly manage its growth.” Changes that Amazon brings to the built environment must “reflect the vision of our existing plans,” Dorsey said, and the County must “prevent the displacement of residents and businesses, or the diminishment of the quality of life for all who already call Arlington home.”

Amazon’s arrival will not immediately address the challenges posed by the ongoing high office vacancy rate that has weakened the County’s tax base, increased Metro funding needs and increased local funding obligations stemming from the state’s welcome decision to expand Medicaid coverage, Dorsey cautioned. In FY 2020, he noted, the County faces a combined County-Arlington Public Schools budget gap for Fiscal Year 2020 of as much as $70 million.

Services costs exceed revenues

The County’s recent resident satisfaction survey produced high marks for County services, but today “we are in the unfortunate position of having (costs of services) significantly exceed our revenues,” Dorsey said. “We need our partners at APS to find significant savings, and we will still be left with needing to either fundamentally reduce the services that Arlingtonians expect and value, or raise revenues through a property tax increase…just to deliver the same levels of service,” Dorsey said. Read Christian Dorsey’s Jan. 2 remarks.

The County Manager will present his proposed FY 2020 Budget to the County Board in February. The Board will then launch an extensive public review process, culminating in the Board adopting the budget at its April 2019 meeting. The FY 2020 Fiscal Year begins on July 1, 2019.

Vice Chair Libby Garvey

Libby Garvey, elected to the Board in March 2012, was named vice chair by her colleagues on the Board. Garvey previously has served a term as County Board Chair. She serves on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Metropolitan Region Council of Governments and other regional bodies.

“I believe we need to figure out together, as a community, what we want Arlington’s future to be,” Garvey said, noting that “everyone says they want to preserve what they love about Arlington, but for some people that means a quiet, tree-lined street with single family homes, and for others it means a bustling urban landscape with bikes, scooters, restaurants, food trucks, and lots of people moving around pretty much 24/7. For everyone, it means affordability.”

Garvey said her priorities include getting through “some tough budget years” by focusing on efficiencies and priorities “in a way I don’t remember us doing.” She said she looks forward to continuing to provide “smaller, more intimate settings for discussions of broader challenges and potential solutions, and to improving civic dialogue and general civility in community discussions. Read Libby Garvey’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Board Member Katie Cristol

Katie Cristol called for revising the County’s zoning ordinance to “allow different, diverse and more affordable home types throughout the County, not just in our commercial areas.” Amazon’s impending arrival “has focused our community energy on protecting our middle class from being priced out permanently, Cristol said. “We can’t squander the opportunity to tackle this hard and important work in the year ahead.”

Because the region has not grown its housing supply to match its economy in recent years, Cristol said, “we’re all feeling the consequences: an affordable housing crisis for our middle class; displacement of our working class and low-income residents.” Arlington “may be only one jurisdiction in our big region, but I know we can be leaders in establishing a better way forward.”

Cristol said she also is looking forward to the Board acting on zoning ordinance and childcare code amendments in 2019 to increase the amount of quality, affordable childcare available in Arlington.

Board Member Erik Gutshall

Noting that “2019 begins for Arlington with both awesome opportunity and daunting challenges,” as it readies for Amazon’s arrival and tackles a difficult budget for FY 2020, Erik Gutshall said that whether the year will realize the County’s “wildest dreams,” or “our worst fears,” will depend on “the choices we make, and the leadership this Board provides this coming year.”

Arlington has spent decades “preparing for Amazon’s arrival,” through long-range planning efforts and investment infrastructure, Gutshall said, but he understands why “some see Amazon primarily exacerbating our worst fears,” as they wonder what its impact may be on crowded schools, open space, regional transportation infrastructure and affordable housing.

Gutshall cited the need for a multi-year visioning and planning effort to develop a long-range comprehensive schools and community facilities plan, modernizing the County’s zoning “to allow market-driven housing forms for the middle class,” and updating the Community Energy Plan as his priorities in 2019. He proposed that the County join the Green New Deal movement to transform the economy “to tackle the twin crises of inequality and climate change.” Read Erik Gutshall’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Board Member Matt de Ferranti

Matt de Ferranti, the newest member of the Board, said he will apply four standards to his consideration of an agreement with Amazon: that it provide a significant net benefit to our whole community; that an agreement further the County’s goals with respect to housing, transportation and schools; that small businesses are fairly considered as we implement an agreement; and that the County conduct a full, fair, and transparent process for considering an agreement.

de Ferranti also identified his priorities for 2019, which include bringing down the 19 percent office vacancy rate; providing the funding to build the schools to educate every child well; addressing housing affordability via creativity and relentlessness on affordable homeownership and rental units; putting the County back in a regional leadership role on climate change, renewable energy and our environment, and working to end child hunger in Arlington. Read Matt deFerranti’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Following the Organizational Meeting, the Board joined the Arlington County Civic Federation at its General Membership meeting, held in the County Board Room. Board members fielded questions from Civic Federation members on a range of issues.

]]>County Board to Kick-Off 2019 with Jan. 2 Organizational Meetinghttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/county-board-to-kick-off-2019-with-jan-2-organizational-meeting/
Thu, 27 Dec 2018 14:06:06 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19982The Arlington County Board will elect a new Chair and Vice Chair, and each member will lay out his or her priorities for 2019 at a January 2, 2019 Organizational Meeting.

The five-member County Board elects a new Chair and Vice Chair annually. This year’s outgoing Chair is Katie Cristol; Christian Dorsey is the 2018 vice chair. Other members of the County Board in 2019 include: Libby Garvey, Erik Gutshall and Matt deFerranti. All members of the Board serve at-large, and are elected to four-year terms. The Board is Arlington’s governing body, vested with its legislative powers.

The Organizational Meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the County Board Room, Room 307 on the third floor of the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center. In addition to electing its 2019 leadership, the Board will make appointments to both regional bodies and advisory groups and adopt the 2019 County Board Meeting schedule and procedures.

To view the agenda, and read the staff reports, visit the County website. All County Board Meetings are live-streamed on the County website and YouTube, and broadcast live by Arlington TV, the County’s cable television channel, in HD on Comcast Xfinity 1085, and SD on Comcast Xfinity 25 and Verizon FiOS 39 and 40.

]]>March of Dimes Relocates U.S. Headquarters to Arlingtonhttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/march-of-dimes-relocates-u-s-headquarters-to-arlington/
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 14:37:59 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19920Arlington County welcomes March of Dimes to its community as a new leader in the business market. March of Dimes chose Arlington as its new home after a competitive bid process to relocate its current headquarters from New York. The organization will occupy approximately 28,000 square feet of office space at 1550 Crystal Drive in Crystal City, and create 80 new jobs.

“Arlington welcomes the March of Dimes to our community,” Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said. “This organization’s work and legacy is inspiring, and we are honored that the strength of our community, as well as our proximity to the nation’s capital, led the March of Dimes to choose Arlington for its new home. We look forward to a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship.”

March of Dimes is a nationally recognized research and advocacy nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of mothers and babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The organization began a transformation two years ago to diversify its talent base and strengthen its partnerships with corporate and nonprofit leaders around the country, which helped it identify its new home in Arlington.

“Throughout our 80-year history, we have worked in partnership with individuals and organizations to advance breakthrough research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy to support all families,” said March of Dimes President Stacey D. Stewart. “Our move to Arlington enables us to remain at the forefront of this important work while collaborating more effectively with leading maternal and child health partners in the region.”

As part of the deal, Arlington County will provide a $150,000 Economic Development Incentive (EDI) grant, which is subject to job creation and occupancy targets. March of Dimes’ move to Arlington is expected to generate net taxes of $1.1 million for the County over the next decade.

Arlington Economic Development

Arlington Economic Development (AED), part of Arlington County Government, is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of an economically competitive and sustainable community, and the creation of exciting, diverse and amenity-rich places. AED provides visionary leadership and superior services to Arlington’s business and arts community, its tourism industry and its real estate development. For more information, visit arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com.

The Arlington County Board today approved a 2019 General Assembly Legislative Package focused on preserving critical funding streams for public education, public safety, human services, transportation and other core services.

“As we enter especially difficult Fiscal Year 2020 budget deliberations in Arlington County, we’ve renewed our legislative package’s focus on state funding priorities. Recent state actions, particularly on transit, have further shifted funding burdens to localities like ours, and we ask that the state pay a share of these core services, particularly at a time of state budget surplus. To that end, we celebrate and greatly support Governor Northam’s proposed one-time funding for education, and would also strongly support an increase in ongoing funding for schools.”

The Board voted unanimously to adopt the package ahead of the January 9, 2019 start of the General Assembly “short session,” scheduled to run through February 23, 2019. During that time, the General Assembly will consider Governor Ralph Northam’s proposed amendments to the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 budget, as well as a host of other issues, including net metering and other energy-related items; mental health access; non-partisan redistricting; transit issues; voting access, and long-term care assistance.

Comments and suggestions that the Board received from the public, environmental advocates, other civic bodies and Arlington’s legislative delegation led to changes the Board made to the legislative package after holding a public hearing in November and meeting with the delegation in December, Cristol said.

“We have had more robust participation from our commissions, our delegation and the public than ever before,” she said. “They set a new high-water mark for community involvement in setting our state legislative priorities.”

Environmental initiatives

Cristol credited the County’s Environment & Energy Conservation Commission and the Sierra Club’s input with the Board’s decision to support removing barriers to net metering in the Commonwealth. Net metering allows renewable energy system owners to receive credit for the electricity they add to the grid.

Arlington supports removing the one percent cap on the total amount of solar energy that can be net-metered in a utility service territory. It also supports allowing a locality to receive a billing credit at a government property for the excess renewable energy generated at a non-contiguous government-owned property. The County also supports removing barriers to power purchase agreements, including on multi-unit residential properties.

The County also supports providing greater incentives to preserve tree canopies in the context of compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, and related environmental laws, and encourages the adoption of local option authority to develop incentives or regulations to decrease or regulate the distribution, sale or offer of disposable plastic bags.

Equal Rights Amendment

The County joins the League of Women Voters of Arlington in supporting ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution that was proposed by Congress in 1972.

Firearm Safety

Arlington supports granting law enforcement the authority to pursue “substantial risk orders” to prohibit individuals deemed by the courts to be at risk of harming themselves or others, with adequate due process safeguards, from purchasing, possessing, or transporting firearms. The County supports conforming state code to current federal law that ensures that an individual who has been convicted of sexual assault or battery against a household member forfeits any firearms in his or her possession.

The Arlington County Board today approved a contract to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility along a segment of Wilson Boulevard, bordering the Ashton Heights and Ballston-Virginia Square neighborhoods.

“Wilson Boulevard is one of Arlington’s most heavily used east-west arteries,” Arlington CountyBoard Chair Katie Cristol said. “Making it safer and more accessible for pedestrians furthers our vision of Arlington as a walkable community for all residents.”

The Board voted unanimously, in adopting the Consent Agenda, to approve a $1 million contract, including contingency, with Sagres Construction Corp. for Phase 3A of the Wilson Boulevard Streetscape Improvements Project, which is improving one of the County’s most heavily traveled east-west arterial streets.

Project began in 2009

The County has completed two segments since the project began in 2009, improving pedestrian safety along a 1,600-foot stretch from N. Quincy Street to N. Monroe Street. The contract approved today by the Board will improve an additional 900 feet of Wilson Boulevard between N. Monroe Street and N. Kenmore Street. The project is being phased to limit the disruption caused by construction.

Improvements will include realigning the street, widening sidewalks, installing new streetlights and constructing curb extensions. An ADA-compliant crossing will be installed at the N. Kenmore Street intersection, along with a rapid flashing beacon to increase the visibility of the new crossing. Construction is expected to start in spring 2019, with completion anticipated in summer 2020.

Remaking Wilson Boulevard

Improvements to Wilson Boulevard were identified in the Virginia Square Sector Plan, adopted by the County Board in 2002. The Sector Plan recommended improving the street’s character and encouraging a more walkable community with safer, wider sidewalks that meet the latest design guidelines, and by installing sidewalk nubs to reduce crosswalk distances.

The Wilson Boulevard project is fulfilling the Sector Plan recommendations, which also include making the travel lanes more consistent by aligning the edges of the street curb. The project’s final phase, which will improve the section between N. Kenmore Street and 10th Street N. and the 10th Street/N. Ivy Street intersection, is currently in the early design phase. It is being coordinated with a utility under-grounding project that will bury utility lines in this area. The final phase of the streetscape improvements will begin construction after completion of the utility under-grounding project.

To read the staff report, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 14 on the agenda for the Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

]]>CORRECTION: John Vihstadt Farewell Set for 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/correction-john-vihstadt-farewell-set-for-11-a-m-saturday-dec-15/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 14:30:35 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19839The Arlington County Board invites the public to join it in honoring the service of departing Board Member John Vihstadt at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 at its December Regular County Board Meeting. No RSVP is necessary.

The time of the event was mistakenly reported as 1 p.m. in the County Board’s December Meeting Agenda Highlights release.

The event will begin in the County Board Room, where the Board and members of the public will make remarks, then will adjourn to the atrium outside the Board Room for a reception. Vihstadt was first elected to the County Board in April 2014.

The County Board Meeting will be held on the third floor of the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

]]>December 2018 County Board Meeting Agenda Highlightshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/december-2018-county-board-meeting-agenda-highlights/
Sat, 08 Dec 2018 13:01:36 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19830The Arlington County Board will say farewell to departing Board Member John Vihstadt, swear-in newly elected Board Member Matt de Ferranti, and consider dozens of items at its December 2018 meeting.

The Regular Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15, followed by the Recessed Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 18. The County Board meeting is held on the third floor at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., and is open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a Regular County Board Meeting.

Watch it Live

All County Board meetings are live-streamed on the County website, and broadcast live on the County’s cable channel, ATV, with live captioning. You can watch the Board Meetings on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD), and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40, or live-streamed on YouTube. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and reports) and on YouTube.

Saturday, Dec. 15 – County Board Regular Meeting

(Note: The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. with public comment. Some reports will be posted closer to the meeting date.) View the agenda and read the staff reports. Highlights include:

Contract to improve Wilson Blvd: The Board will consider approving a $1 million contract with Sagres Construction Corp. to continue a project that is making Wilson Boulevard, a main east-west artery, safer for pedestrians. To read the staff report on this item, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 14 on the agenda.

The Board invites the public to join it at 11 a.m. (corrected from 1 p.m.) in the Board Room to thank Board Member John Vihstadt, first elected to the County Board in April 2014, for his service. A reception will follow in the atrium outside the Board Room.

2019 General Assembly Legislative Package: The Board will consider adopted the proposed 2019 General Assembly legislative package. The legislative package includes the County’s priorities for the legislative session, developed through the summer and fall in consultation with commissions, stakeholders, members of the public and the County’s legislative delegation. The public hearing on this item has been closed, and the matter is before the Board. To read the staff report, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 24 on the agenda.

Tuesday, Dec. 18 – County Board Recessed Meeting

5 p.m. – The Board will swear-in Member-elect Matt de Ferranti in a public celebration beginning at 5 p.m. The formal swearing-in will be followed by a reception in the atrium outside the Board Room, Room 307 in the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Mr. de Ferranti was elected to a four-year term on the County Board on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. The public is invited, and no RSVP is necessary.

No sooner than 6:30 p.m. – The Board will hold public hearings on, and consider, any items pulled from Saturday’s Consent Agenda.

]]>Media Alert: Sheriff’s Office to Host Holiday Gathering for Children of Incarcerated Parentshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/sheriffs-office-holiday-gathering-children-of-incarcerated-parents/
Thu, 06 Dec 2018 14:00:24 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19718The Arlington County Detention Facility (ACDF) will host special events to allow incarcerated mothers and fathers to visit with their children during the winter holidays.

Incarcerated parents who meet certain requirements will be given the opportunity to have dinner with their children and make themed crafts. The theme of this year’s events is based on the recently released holiday movie “The Grinch.”

Event Details

The Sheriff’s Office hosts similar events in the summer months. The events aim to foster positive relationships between parents and children and lessen the effects of separation.

Members of the media are invited to attend and cover these events. They will take place at the Arlington County Detention Facility at 1435 N. Courthouse Rd. in Arlington. Please contact Major Susie Doyel at sdoyel@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-4461 for more information or to RSVP.